D. August Baertlein - Writer & Ruminator
  • Home
  • My Books
  • Book Reviews
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Contact

Ode to CALM (CA Living Museum)

3/21/2017

Comments

 
Picture
I expected retiring from my software development job at IBM a little over a year ago would provide a sudden flood of free time. As much as I craved free time—I could finally finish that novel—It scared me!

I had nightmares of doing nothing but lazing about in front of the TV binging on peanut butter cups and slowly swelling into a rotund and purposeless slug-woman.

So, I immediately volunteered at CALM (CA Living Museum) in Bakersfield as both a Docent and a Wildlife Rehabilitation assistant.
​
That doesn’t seem like such a huge commitment until you factor in the hour and a half drive each way, and a bit of at-home prep work most weeks. FYI—The bighorn sheep, goats, pony, donkey and pig all enjoy carrots slices and apple chunks frozen into ice blocks on a hot Bakersfield day.

Picture
Volunteering at CALM has been every bit as educational and fun as I expected. I’d planned to write about it regularly on this blog, but in our first training class we were warned against oversharing on social media. So I’ll just say—CALM is awesome. Check it out.

Rehabilitating injured animals was my original goal, but it turns out being a docent is double-awesome. I knew I’d enjoy getting up-close and personal with the critters, but I never expected to enjoy the people as much as I have.

Watching kids’ (or adults’) eyes light up when they see a hawk or owl or tarantula or tortoise up close for the first time is priceless.  Showing them the decorator crabs, sea cucumbers and abalone in the new California Coast Room and talking “tide pool” is one of my greatest joys!

Picture
Helping someone go from being afraid to come near a Kingsnake to touching its tail in rapt fascination, and explaining to them how snakes help keep down rodent populations—well, that just feels like the best public service I could provide. For both snakes and humans!

I’m going to miss CALM now that we’re moving back to Arizona, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.  Well, at least not for slugging-out in front of the TV.
​

Now back to that novel! And maybe just a few peanut butter cups.

Comments

    Author

    I made a career of writing software by day while scribbling stories by night, a combo made even odder by the fact that I started my adult life as a marine biologist/geneticist. 

    I got my Ph.D. ever so long ago, but I still love science, especially the biological variety. Now I write SciFi and Fantasy that's full of it.  Science, I mean.


    ​Subscribe

    Subscribe


    Blogs I love

    _Nathan Bransford
    Anne R.Allen
    Shrinking Violets Promotions
    Siri Weber Feeney 
    Lynn Becker Books 
    Terry Pierce
    Jean Ann Williams
    CSPerryess
    Goodreads
    Writer's Guide to E-Publishing
    Science News
    Discover Magazine
    Scientific American
    Goodreads with Ronna


    Archives

    September 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    January 2019
    October 2017
    March 2017
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    January 2013
    October 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from dedhed1950, ScottM70, peru, lili eta marije, erin_everlasting, timparkinson, allspice1